Prior Engagement
by RavenRuby
Summary: Writing this for a class / Will be rated m for reason. Shilo is alone one year after the Opera stint. Her only friend is Graves, who comes and goes as he pleases. WHat will come of this awkward friendship? R&R Please
1. Chapter 1

Prior Engagement

Kaitlin Curbishley

2057 A.D.

Shilo stood in her room, looking around. Blind Mag, her dead God-mother, stared lovingly back at her from her old Genetic Opera posters. Shi. sat down on her bed, her plastic canopy long since torn down, and the large holo-picture of her mother broken and hidden behind her large dresser. As she sat on her large bed, she took her deceased fathers' wire glasses form her bed-side table and looked into them. "Genetics….. Dad why?" She had taken the glasses from him after the stint at the Opera. As she set his glasses back, a sharp rap at her window told her Graves was on the run… Again. She smiled and shook her head.

"Kid! Your in there, I can see you, quick open up! Let me in!" Shilo opened her window wide and Graverobber stepped in with a knowing smile. "'Bought time Kid, damn GeneCo Police after me again. Amber told them I was hassling her." He mimicked her winy voice. "Oh, That horrid man,he said he was selling me Zydrate, Its all a big lie!" He shook his head angrily, "Bah! Funny how she knew where I would be, hm? Even after I got a new 'Corner'."

"You really should stop selling Zydrate then Graves." Shilo picked up a large text with a _Stagmomantis Carolina _on it, or as Graves knew, a Praying Mantis. "Hey!" He had grabbed the book from her and she tried to get it back, but her 5"2 18 year old frame just wasn't tall enough to get the book from his 5"9 28 year old self. He lifted it above her head and laughed, grinning. "Ugh, you're a pain!" Graverobber gave her back her book with a smirk, and she smiled sweetly at him. "Clarence!"

He groaned and glared at her, for a moment she was almost scared, but she knew better and got over it. "Hey, none of that now, 'Kid'!" She frowned at him. He shrugged out of his large jacket and his Zydrate kit bag. Graves turned and looked out the window, the flashlight beams long gone. "Finally, persistent bast-" He was cut off by a look from Shi. He shrugged, "Well, they're gone." He smiled, "Can I use your shower?"

Shilo nodded, "Yeah, go ahead, your stuff is still here from last week, I washed them for you." He smiled at her, thankful. She blushed, "Was no problem."

"You're a life saver Shilo." He mussed her hair up and her wig fell off. Shilo gasped and her hands flew to her hair, and she shut her eyes, not wanting to see his scrutiny.

"It…The drug...That Dad gave me. It made me bald. Its only just started growing back." She opened her eyes to see Graverobber staring back at her with a bewildered expression. He turned abruptly and left her large room. Shilo sat back on her bed and saw herself in her mirror; her short black hair was growing in curly and thick, much different than her wigs glossy darkness. She pulled the wig over her short hair and straightened her room.

After about 15 minutes, she went down her stairs to her living room and picked a movie, Drag Me To Hell. She felt the need for a creepy thriller/cult movie. She put the disk into the BluRay player and went to the kitchen to make some popcorn. She heard the shower stop as she put the corn bits into the ancient popcorn popper. Waiting for the creped machine to warm up Graverobber walked into the room. Shilo couldn't help but gasp as he strode in like he owned the place. He was wearing stylishly ripped (though to be truthful, Shilo figured they had been cut by the multiple grave-headers he often jumped over.) black jeans and a faded yellow muscle shirt. His face wiped clean of the white face make-up, and black eyeliner and lipstick washed away clean. His long colored hair tied back in a loose ponytail. "Whoa!" Shilo tried not to express her thoughts that way, that would only provoke his enormous ego. But what could she do? She liked the way he looked normally, the rebel, but right now, he was so clean cut, almost … presentable.

Graves smiled, "Like what you see?" She glared at him, a rabbit to a bear. "Saw you put in a movie, in the mood for some emotional destruction?" He waved the movie case in front of her face.

"Oh shush!" She swatted the plastic away from her face and tried to gather the popcorn finally coming out of the popper. "Did you mind, or did you want to watch something else? I wasn't sure if you were staying…" She looked up at him, his face unreadable. "You left so quickly after the last time, I wasn't…" She blushed.

"Kid? If you want me to stay I will." He grinned at her. "Those police can wait for me to give them some more exercise later." He winked and went to sit on her couch. Shilo stood in place, dumbfounded. She turned and popped a few popcorn into her mouth and walked into the living room where the movie trailers were finishing. "Pull up a chair Shi." Grave slid over, hid long body taking up the whole couch, the only chair in the room.

"Graves….Come on…." Shilo whined playfully, yet slightly irritated. "Move your carcass…" She grinned and Graverobber did as well.

"Body, actually." He looked shocked at her, mocking her. "Why Shilo… You being super studious, you would think you would know. A carcass is a _dead_ body, like the ones I steal the 'Z' from. I," He pointed to his chest, "On the other hand, am a body, a living breathing, hunk of body." He full out smiled at her, she blushed and scowled at him, trying to push his legs so she could sit down and watch her movie. "Aw, come on Kid, have some fun." He gently pushed her shoulder.

"The only fun I have with you is when we are out gathering Zydrate, when you open up and I can see how proud you are of me, and how far from being that pathetic wimp I was last year." She glared at him, tears forming in her eyelined eyes. "Crap!" She turned and skillfully wiped her tears while keeping her makeup intact. "Watch the movie… I'm going out." She slipped down stairs into her father's old lab, where remnants of her Dad's Repo work remained. A tunnel leading from there to the outside was her sanctuary. She walked for what seemed like an hour but it wasn't long before she reached her mother and fathers tombs. Shilo sat down on a cement bench her father had installed for her when she was younger and wept.

After a while, the hidden cement door opened and Graverobber came into the mausoleum looking really mad. "What are you doing Kid? Walking out of your house alone at night… You're a genius, think!" He walked over to her, standing in front of her. "Not every Robber is as nice as I am. Some might try to take advantage of you!" He sat beside her, and noticed her shaking into her hands. "Kid… Are you crying?" His gloved hand went to her back and rubbed it. "I was only worried… You are a firecracker, and are a lot tougher than last year, but," He pulled her face up gently and kissed her lips. "Kid… Shilo, don't run out like that." He hugged her tightly.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n- Terrance Zdunich told me Graves real name was Clarence Zamoomich : P I Lawled!

Shilo leaned into the hug, glad for his body warmth in this cool dreary tomb. "Graves… Im sorry…" She pulled back and looked at him through worried eyes. "What am I to you…" He looked at her, shocked. "I mean, am I just a host at a house you can shower at and provider of your food…" The tears glazed her eyes.

Graverobber pulled her close again. "Shilo… Im sorry about this, but," He lifted her chin and kissed her. "You are acting like such a _kid_!" He smiled at her warmly at her confused and blushing face. "I like being around you, your smart, funny…" He grinned, "You learned how to get'Z' quick too." He winked at Shilo. He suddenly stood up and pulled her up by her shoulders and pushed her gently back to the whole in which they came through. "Shi, you go back to your house. I will be back in a while," At her disbelieving glare he frowned. "I promise, and a robber never breaks a promise." He laughed at her incredulous look.

"Of course they do! They rob stuff!" She went into the pathway without anymore of a fight though. "You better come back, or you're in for it." Graves held a hand to his heart and smiled wistfully.

"Be still my terrified heart, she can threaten like the best of us!" She winked again and slid the door back into place, leaving Shilo with the fire light- latten walls. Shi smiled despite the moist and bug ridden sides. She turned and walked back into her house.

When entering her father's old lab, she walked to a table with blood stains on it and a couple scalpels. A finger on the table told her this blood was over a year old, before her father had gotten shot at the Opera. "Years, its been so many years, resenting the years, and my heredity, oh, I have hated and loved you, I have hidden behind you, but I finally see…" She wiped away a tear. "Dad…" She found an old medicine bag (She intended to clean up) with more medial instruments and threw up in the sink, which was also stained with the life giving liquid." What did you do in here…" Shilo slid to the floor, her face drained of all color, tears streaming freely. She trembled in her arms, wrapped protectively around her legs. She cried, she had not cried this hard since she had said goodbye to her father at the Opera. She knew he was a Repo Man, but she didn't realize what the entitled…She had thought that all he did was repossess, not kill… She had worried about Mag, but only because Shilo knew she needed her eyes, they were a part of her image, and they helped her see when she was blind, not to mention she didn't know about her fathers' Night Surgeon job then…

Graverobber called from upstairs, "Shilo? Kid where are you?" Shilo could hear him upstairs, his heavy boots thumping. He walked into the basement, cautious. "Kid? You down here?" He saw her leaning against the blood ridden sink and ran over to her. "Oh shit-, Kid!" He knelt down and pulled her into his arms. He pushed her head into his shoulder so she didn't have to see anymore of her old man's night work. He picked her up and he walked out to her living room and sat down on the couch. "Shi, are you okay?" He lifted her head back up and she was sobbing. He let her use his shoulder as a pillow and she cried into his shoulder.

"G- Grav-ves, I- I'm sorry." She blubbered trying to get compossed. "I knew about his Repo nights at the end, but I never went in there and tonight I-" She was cut off by Graverobber pressing his lips to her gloss-lined ones. He hugged her tightly and kept kissing, she melted into him. She had, after all, liked him from the moment they met in that dark graveyard a year ago. Shilo had thought he liked her too, but lately she was positive. He was usually mannered a certain way, especially around his 'clients' but with her he was usually so calm and humorous. Plus the fact that they had only just started kissing a week or so ago. She had self esteem issues… Not interacting with other teens had given her a slight complex.

Suddenly, Graves pulled away and went onto one knee. He looked at Shilo pointedly, who in turn, looked at him blankly. Graverobber laughed and reached into one of his jackets many pockets and pulled out a small scrubby looking box, "Shi…" She stared at him; he grinned and took a small silver ring out of the box.

"Oh!" Realization hit.

"Shilo, would you like to spend everyday with me as my wife?" He blushed, which was actually adorable, and smiled wider.

"Bu-? When? Oh my God!" She started crying all over, and this time she didn't stop it. "Graverobber…." She blushed and looked at him timidly.

"Yes, Shilo I am sure I want you. Why do you think I have been selling so much Zydrate?" She shook her head, "I've been saving up to bye you this…"  
He showed her the ring and she gasped. It was a small white gold ring, metal weaving on the sides and a blue topaz surrounded by diamonds. Shilo looked at him incredulously. And he grinned mischievously, "Yeah Shi, I really bought it, possibly the first thing I have ever actually bought…" His eyes shifted as he actually thought about things he might have purchased over his many years.

"Graverobber, I say yes!" Shilo scooted off the chair and went to the floor and hugged him.

"Ah, ah, ah!" He pushed her away, and she frowned, confused. "I have to out the ring on you." Shi smiled.

He slipped the ring on her pale finger and smiled, for the first time in a while, he felt whole. Shilo frowned at him.

"Graves….Why do you want to marry me?" She asked, her voice fading as she asked it.

"Well, I love you. You put up with me and my crazy life. You don't to 'Z', and you are concerned about me when I go out to sell it and find some. You even help me sometimes when I go to look for bodies; _no_ woman I have ever gone out with has done that." He grinned, and kissed her head. "Your brave and funny, timid, but if threatened, you stick up for yourself…" He pulled back, amused. "Your like a skunk!" He dodged a hit aimed for his head and laughed. "Shi." He pulled her up to stand with him. "I love you for you, your strong Kid." He hugged her again and she smiled into his chest as he leaned his chin on her head.


End file.
